Vane-type pump



Apri 11, 1967 v A, BRUNSON ETAL www@ VANE -TYPE PUMP Filed June 30, 1965K. W? wwf my@ EHUL.. vmpm m Jv. Lw/ ll# VHWU fmmeys United Statesa'te'nt 3,313,239 VANE-TYPE PUMP Virgil A. Brunson and Harold L. VandenHoek, Grand Rapids, Mich., assignors to Dover Corporation, Grand Rapids,Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 3l), 1965, Ser. No. 468,4661 Claim. (Cl. 1113-136) The invention relates to a vane-type rotary pumphaving a novel type of replaceable liner.

When the body of a vane-type rotary pump is made of aluminum, as isoften the case, it is necessary to employ a liner in the rotor chamber,in contact with the vanes. Aluminum is so soft that it would wear veryrapidly if it were contacted by the rotating vanes. Aluminum surfacescan be hardened Iby various treatments, such as anodizing, but aluminumrotor chambers which have been subjected to such treatments have beenfound to be too abrasive so that they wear out the vanes too rapidly.

It is possible to use a sheet metal liner in a circular chamber, asshown in United States Patent No. 2,816,- 513, because a flexible sheetmetal liner is easily bent into circular form so that it can be insertedinto a circular chamber. However, the rotor chamber of an ordinaryvane-type rotary pump is not circular, but is of varying radius, and ithas not been possible to use a sheet metal liner in such a non-circularchamber, but it has been necessary to use a cast liner as shown inUnited States Patents Nos. 963,690 and 2,676,545. In a cast liner of thetype heretofore used in vane-type rotary pumps, the interior of theliner is of varying radius to form the non-circular rotor chamber, andthe exterior of the liner is of uniform radius so that it can be ttedinto a cavity of uniform radius in the pump body. Such a cast liner,which has an interior of varying radius and an exterior of uniformradius, is necessarily quite thick so that a vane-type rotary pumpcontaining such a liner is relatively large and heavy.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a novel type ofsheet metal -liner which can be used in a rotor chamber of varyingradius in a vane-type rotary pump. More specific objects and advantagesare apparent from the following description, in which reference is hadto the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of theinvention,

FIG. 1 is a side elevation Aof a pump embodying the invention, with aportion of the side plate broken away.

FIG. 2 shows the sheet metal liner of the pump in its initial flatcondition.

FIG. 3 is an elevation showing the sheet metal liner rolled into helicalform in preparation for insertion of the liner into the body of thepump,

These specific drawings and the specic description that follows areintended to disclose and illustrate and not to limit the invention.

The pump shown in the drawings comprises a housing 1t) to which a pairof side plates 11 are secured by means of screws 12. Mounted on each ofthe side plates 11 is a bearing 13 for supporting a shaft 14 by means ofwhich the pump is driven. The interior of the housing consists of a bore15 of varying radius in which is fitted a sheet metal yliner 16 that isprovided with openings 17 as shown in FIG. 2.

The liner 16 is in the form of a non-rectangular parallelogram andpreferably is made of a spring-stock material such as stainless steel,so that when removed from the pump the liner straightens out as shown inFIG. 2. In order that the liner may be inserted into the housing 10, theliner is rst manually bent into a helical shape as shown in FIG, 3. Whenthe liner is in this helical form, it is of reduced circumference sothat it can be inserted without difficulty into the non-circular bore 15of the pump, -provided that one side plate 11 and the pump rotor havebeen removed. The area of the liner 16 is equal to the area of thesurface of the bore 15, and when the liner is rolled into the shapeshown in FIG. 3 and is inserted into the bore 15 so that it contacts theother side plate 11 which is still in place, one corner of the liner 16will protrude from the open end of the bore 15. This protruding cornerof the liner 16 is then tapped inward with a hammer, so that the wedgingaction of the butting ends of the liner 16 causes the liner to expanduntil it is exactiy coextensive with and tightly in contact with thenon-circular bore 15. This method of expanding the liner 16 into Contactwith the bore 15 is necessary because the rolled-up liner tends tomaintain a circular shape and a considerable amount of force is requiredto distort the liner into conformity with the non-circular bore 15.

Since the rolled-up liner tends to maintain a circular shape, thedistortion of the liner caused by expanding it into contact with thenon-circular bore 15 produces a iirm grip between the liner and the borewhich prevents the liner from being displaced after it has once beeninserted.

The space inside the liner 16 constitutes a rotor chamber 18, in whichis located a circular cylindrical rotor 19, xed upon the drive shaft 14.As shown in FIG. 1, the upper portion of the chamber 18, consisting ofapproximately 1/s of the periphery of the chamber, fits closely aroundthe periphery of the rotor 19. Thus the upper portion of the chamber 13is concentric with the axis of the shaft 14. The lower 1/6 of thechamber 18 also is concentric with the axis of the shaft 14, but at alarger radius.

The housing 141 is provided with an outlet port 20, and a diametricallyopposed inlet port (not shown). When the sheet metal liner 16 is beinginserted, care is taken to `locate the openings 17 in substantialregistry with the inlet `and outlet ports in the housing 10,- so astoplace these ports in communication with the Irotor chamber 1S.`

Each lof six vanes 21 has a sliding fit in a radial slot 22 provided inthe rotor 19. Three rods 23 are slidably mounted in three spaced holeswhich 'are drilled through the rotor 19 and the shaft 14, to connecteach pair of diametrically opposed vanes 21.

During operation of the pump the vanes 21 are held outward bycentrifugal force and wipe around the periphery of the rotor chamber 18.As each vane traverses the upper 1/6 of the chamber 18, it remainssubstantially stationary relative to the rotor, in its innermostposition. Then as the vane travels downward across the inlet port, itmoves radially outward relative to the rotor while continuing to wipeagainst the periphery of the chamber 18 and `pushing liquid ahead of it.As each vane travels across the lower 1/6 of the chamber 18, it remainsstationary relative to the rotor 19, in its outermost position. Then asthe vane travels upward across the outlet port 20, the vane moves backto its innermost position.

The rods 23 supplement the laction of centrifugal force, particularlyduring start-up of the pump, in holding the vanesoutward to cause themto wipe around the periphery of the chamber 1S.

A shallow groove 24 is provided on the front surface of each vane topermit liquid to flow inward past the vane as the vane is movingradially outward relative to the rotor 19, so as to prevent theformation of a vacuum at 25 that would impede the outward movement ofthe vane.

Having described the invention, we claim:

A vane-type rotary pump comprising, in combination, a rotor chamberhaving a side wall of varying radius in which is formed an inlet, and anoutlet angularly displaced from the inlet, a rotor eccentrically mountedin the cham ber, having radial slots and vanes radially movable in theslots, yand a sheet metal liner for the chamber which when flat is inthe form of a non-rectangular parallelogram, having openings forregistry with the inlet and outlet, the liner being exible and`resilient .and tending to straighten out so that when its ends arebrought into offset butting relationship the liner takes the form of ahelix which can be inserted into the chamber, the butting ends extendingat such an angle that a wedging action to expand the helix is producedby tapping the protruding end of the helix into place, and the ylinerwhen in place sing coextensive with the side wall of the chamber andbeing,y distorted, .by the Wedging action of the butting ends, intointimate contact with the side wal] of varying radius, thereby lockingthe liner in place References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATESPATENTS 963,690 7/1910 Curtis 103-136 1,395,"-)l 11/1921 Hayes 103-1362,283,424 5/1942 Colwell et al 29-156.4 2,676,545 4/1954 Barr 103--2162,816,513 12/1957 Watson 103-216 3,202,103 8/l965 Sully 103-136 DONLEYI. STOCKING, Primary Examiner.

MARK NEWMAN, WILBUR I. GOODLIN, Examiners.

R. M. VARGO, Assistant Examiner`

